Information for leaseholders

Frequently asked questions

What is a Leaseholder?

If you buy a house, you purchase the freehold and will own the property outright. If you buy a flat or maisonette, you usually purchase a long lease. This allows you and your successors to live in it for a fixed time, usually 125 years if you are buying it from the Council.

The Council will retain ownership of the building as a whole and its surrounding land; and is responsible for the upkeep of the building and all the internal and external communal areas.

Please note that if you are buying your flat or maisonette from another owner, you will purchase a lease for 125 years less the number of years that the previous owner, or any other previous owner, owned the property.

What is a Lease?

A Lease is a legal contract between the freeholder (Dover District Council) and you, the Leaseholder, which sets out all rights and responsibilities of both parties in relation to you owning and living in the property.

Your home may be at risk if you do not follow the terms and conditions of the Lease or if you do not pay you service charges.

What are the Council responsible for regarding repairs and maintenance under the terms of the lease?

The Council is responsible for carrying out repairs and maintenance to the structure of the building and for shared internal communal areas, such as hallways and stairwells, and external areas. You can request repairs to be done to the shared areas by reporting problems to the Repairs Section on 01304 872299 or emailing maintenance@dover.gov.uk.

The Council is NOT responsible for repairs inside your home, including central heating, all fittings, plumbing etc.

There is Leaseholders handbook for more detailed information, which you should have been sent a copy of if you are an existing Leaseholder, and this will be made available on this website in due course.

Will I need permission to make alterations to my flat or maisonette?

You should check your lease carefully before carrying out any alterations to your property as there may be restrictions affecting the work you intend to carry out, and you may need our consent before you start work.

This is important as the Council can require you to make good any work that needs permission if this has not been sought first and may also have serious implications if you decide to sell the property on.

You should also check whether you need Planning/Permission and/or Building Regulations before you carry out work to the property.

What does the Service Charge cover?

You pay shared services in your block for the following (where applicable):

Day-to-day building repairs and maintenance
Repairs and maintenance to shared areas, such as hallways and stairwells
Grounds maintenance (grass cutting, hedge/shrub pruning, flower beds and borders)
Door entry system checks and maintenance
Electricity/lighting in communal areas
Heating in communal areas
Maintenance of lifts
Cleaning of communal areas/one off cleans
Caretaker services
Fire alarms/extinguishers checks and maintenance
Maintenance of communal TV aerials
Buildings insurance
Managing the services

How is my Service Charge worked out?

You pay an annual service charge, including a management fee, ground rent and buildings insurance for which invoices are sent out in April each year. You pay a percentage towards the cost of the services, which is determined by:

The number of flats and maisonettes in the block, and
The size of the building and land that is included
Your lease specifies the percentage you will need to pay and the land that is included

If there are Tenants in the block, what do they pay?

Tenants contribute through the service charges paid with their rent, the level of which is reviewed in line with inflation and Government guidelines each year.

How will I be invoiced for Service Charges?

The Council will invoice you twice during the year for Service Charges:

In April you will be charged for the basic amount we estimate you need to pay for services during the year, and
In September we charge you for the difference between the actual cost for the services you received and the estimate we calculated in the previous April.
The actual charge will be the cost of what was spent on your block in the previous year up to the 31st March. If the difference is less than your estimated service charge you will receive a credit.

What is a Management Fee?

A management fee is charged to cover the cost of the preparing and sending invoices, and for dealing with queries and processing. This fee is reviewed annually.

What is a Ground Rent?

A ground rent is the 'nominal rent' the Council asks you to make. It is usually £10 per year.

Would I be expected to pay any additional costs?

We may need to charge you a 'major works' service charge in addition to your annual service charge if we carry out major repair works to your building.

Under the Right to Buy rules, we will already have told you about any known structural defects affecting the building and whether we intend to ask you to pay for work to put them right during the first 5 years of your lease. We will have given you an estimate of the costs of the work which will only change to take account of inflation. You will have to pay for your element of the cost of works done after the first 5 years to your building. These costs can be substantial depending on the repair.

Will you give me advance notice about major work being carried out?

We inform you about any major works that are planned and, by law, must give you two notices before work is started.

The first statutory notice tells you about the work that is proposed and allows you 30 days to nominate a contractor of your own choice to be invited to carry out the work. Any contractor you nominate is subject to approval and stringent checks, for example, for insurance cover and health and safety. If the nominated contractor is found to be suitable, they will be included on the tender list.

Subject to any observations received, we will then invite approved contractors to give us prices for the work, this is called tender process. You will then be sent a second statutory notice telling you what work will be carried out and how much this will cost. This notice gives you 30 days to query the works and look at all tender documents should you wish to see them.

Your April Bill

Methods of payments for Service Charges (this will take you to the Dover District Council website)

If you are finding quarterly payments difficult to budget for we may be able to offer monthly payments and you should contact the Corporate Income Section at Dover District Council on 01304 872392 to discuss payment plans.

Your September bill

The invoice we send you in September is the difference between what we estimated we would spend on the block and what actual costs were incurred during the previous financial year up to 31st March. Sometimes we may show a refund on this bill if there have been fewer day-to-day repairs than expected.

This is a final account for the previous financial year and is paid in one lump sum, however if you are experiencing difficulties with payment, please contact our Corporate Income Section on 01304 872392 to discuss alternative arrangements.

If the Council owes you money, you can opt to have the amount refunded or deducted from your next bill.

Statement

Along with any invoice or credit note sent in September, you will also receive a statement detailing the costs of all the work we have done in the previous year which ended 31st March.

Subletting

You, as the Landlord are responsible for the payment of Service Charges and therefore we need to be kept informed of current mailing addresses to ensure invoices are paid in accordance with the Lease.

You must also inform the council's Insurance Officer on 01304 872130 if you intend to sublet your property as this may affect your insurance policy.

Additionally, as Landlord, it is your responsibility to ensure any gas appliances in your property are safe. It is a legal requirement to arrange for annual checks of these appliances and a copy of the safety check must be forwarded to your tenant.